To the Neighborhoods and the Nations

Pray for our summer ministry outreaches coming up soon—June 12-16 Teen Week and July 9-13 Kids Week. And, pray as week in and week out the Gospel is shared through IBC’s weekly ministries and especially through our people who witness in their daily lives.

I am also grateful for our 60 missionaries and agencies that we support who weekly give the message of Jesus to the nations.

Then, sometimes God gives us unusual opportunities. In March, the general IBC email box received an email from Bangladesh that included the following:

Good to find and know you! I found this contact from your website. I am not from a Christian faith, but I would like to study and know more about Jesus. I was searching for a Bible for my personal knowing and study, which I do not have. Then I found your church from my search in google. It will be very helpful for me if you could kindly send me one good and durable printed Bible in English by which I can study and learn more about God and Jesus. I want to know Jesus… Being in a Muslim country, it’s not very easy to have an access to a Bible.

Pastor Tom replied to Mr. “M” and told him about an online site to read the Bible. But, Mr. M replied that he really wanted a paper Bible. He sent his PO box address in his country. Tom sent a Bible and other Gospel literature to the address and prayed.

It was so encouraging to hear back:

Hello Tom. You will be happy to know that I have received your package. I got it in a very good condition and didn’t go through any hassle or trouble with the customs. Thank you very much for sending me this Bible and small book. Yours sincerely, Mr. M, Bangladesh.

Another similar request was fulfilled recently to India. Apparently, since Bible is the middle name of Independent Bible Church, our website sometimes comes up when people do a google search for “How to get a free Bible” or something similar.

“The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth…” (2 Chron. 16:9a). Just as He sent Peter to take the Gospel to a seeker named Cornelius, He can get His Word to seeking hearts in amazing ways.

Pray for Mr. M in Bangladesh, that God will open his searching heart to understand and believe the gospel of Christ from his new Bible. And, may all of us be anxious to take every opportunity God gives us to share the saving message of Jesus in our neighborhoods and to the nations. Isn’t it awesome that He allows us to be a part of His rescuing work on planet earth?